Emissary
by Prufrax
Summary: Elsa is not the fifth spirit. Not even close.


**EMISSARY**

**Author's note: **Beware spoilers.

When Anna saw Elsa on the beach, she was overcome with emotion. Wasting no time, she ran to meet her older sister with open arms, smiling and crying at the same time.

The hug was not returned, though. Anna pulled back, frowning, her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

Elsa cast her gaze to the ground. "Oh, Anna."

"What is it? What happened?" With each question, Anna tried to find Elsa's eyes, but it was to no avail.

"Oh, Anna! Ahtohallan!" Elsa turned her face to the sky, her eyes squeezed shut , her mouth a taut line.

She sobbed then, full of despair, and abruptly sank to her knees like all life had left her. A few tears managed to escape through her eyelids.

Still clinging to Elsa's shoulders, Anna followed her down. "What happened?" she insisted.

At last, Elsa surrounded Anna with her arms and clung for dear life. "Oh, Anna, I'm so sorry. You need to go back to Arendelle. You need to leave me here and forget all about me."

Once more, Anna pushed Elsa back and held her by the shoulders. "What are you talking about? You're the fifth spirit, the bridge between worlds."

Elsa shrunk in Anna's hold, seemingly wilting like a flower. Suddenly, she let out a bark of self-deprecating laughter. "No." She shook her head. "No, I'm not."

Taken aback, Anna's eyes widened for an instant. She recovered quickly and frowned, looking around the beach without any particular objective. "But, the prophecy... Grand Pabbie..."

After a loud sniffle, Elsa laughed in self-deprecation once more. "Oh, I'm sure there's someone out there who is the fifth spirit. It's just not me."

Anna focused on Elsa, still frowning. "But then, how..."

"Oh, I'm magical alright." Elsa gently removed Anna's hands from her shoulders and stood up. "I'm just not the fifth spirit."

Also standing up, Anna approached Elsa and tried to grab her hand. Elsa shied away and held her hands to her chest.

"What are you then?" Anna said, trying again to find Elsa's eyes.

Elsa sighed. "Something else."

Anger crossed Anna's expression but it quickly morphed into determination. She came behind Elsa and captured one of her hands with both of hers. "Tell me."

For a moment, Elsa struggled to pull away but Anna held fast. "I don't... I can't..."

Anna let go and took a step back. Her face was red. "You just ditched me on a makeshift boat and threw me down a river to parts unknown and now this?!" She looked to the ground and clenched her hands into tight, white-knuckled fists.

When she looked at Elsa again, there was fire in her eyes. "Does your word mean nothing to you? Do I mean nothing to you?!"

"Oh, Anna." Elsa tried to approach Anna, but it was now her turn to move away.

"No. Answer me, Elsa."

"I..."

Anna took a step forward and stamped with one foot. "You made a promise!" She punctuated each word with her index finger pointing at Elsa.

Sighing in defeat, Elsa turned away from Anna and began pacing. "I was put in mother's womb by something else."

"Something else?" Anna muttered, looking down while frowning.

"Yes."

"Like what?" This time, Anna looked intently at Elsa as she awaited an answer.

" I don't know..."

Anna's expression tightened. "Elsa..."

For the first time, Elsa looked at Anna straight in the eye. "I don't know!"

The outburst took Anna aback momentarily. When she recovered, she approached Elsa and offered her a hand. "Elsa?"

After a moment of hesitation, Elsa took it. "Even Ahtohallan couldn't tell me." She looked toward the sea. "From what I could see, it's something dark and monstrous that exists somewhere outside our reality."

Anna's eyes widened, and at the same time, her grip on Elsa's hand tightened.

"I—I was supposed to be some kind of gateway for it to come into our world," Elsa continued, looking down and smiling. "But your presence kept its call at bay." She squeezed Anna's hand.

"I did? How?"

Elsa faced Anna and took both her hands in hers. "Your joy, your love, your radiance."

"Oh, geez." Anna tried to pull away, blushing all the way to her ears.

"It's true!"

"Alright, alright," Anna said after a moment. "But how come your magic worked to open the mist and also in Ahtohallan?"

Again, Elsa laughed in self-deprecation. "Because my magic is... let's say multifaceted. The fact that it's ice is just a coincidence brought by my surroundings. If I wish it hard enough..." To make her point, she released Anna's hands and closed her eyes, her expression taut with concentration.

After a moment, Elsa lifted one hand, palm facing up, and a flame burst into existence.

"There," Elsa said, opening her eyes and smiling at a wide-eyed Anna.

"Wow."

"Indeed." Elsa closed her hand and extinguished the flame. She then cast her gaze toward the sea and made a face. "As for Ahtohallan. It didn't quite work. The power there tried to kill me."

"What?!" Anna took a step back and frowned.

"Yes," Elsa said, fidgeting with her hands and smiling toward the ground. "And it very nearly succeeded, if not because you destroyed the dam."

"Oh, Elsa." Anna took a step forward and began lifting her arms but Elsa put up a palm to stop her.

"No, Anna. Now you must leave me and forget about me."

The hurt was obvious in Anna's expression. She faced away for a moment and Elsa turned around to leave.

Without hesitation, Anna took a step forward and snatched one of Elsa's wrists. "Where do you think you're going?"

Elsa looked skyward and squeezed her eyes shut, her mouth turning into a line. She then took a deep breath and said, "I already told you."

"No," Anna said, defiance and determination clear in her tone, posture and expression.

"Anna, please."

"We made a promise, Elsa."

Elsa snapped around, fire in her eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore! I'm a monster, Anna, and that's not a figure of speech. You need to stay as far away from me as you can." She began pacing. "Arendelle, the Northuldra, the trolls." She enumerated each one with a different finger. Once she was done, she traced an arc through the air with that same hand, as if indicating the entire world. "Everyone needs to stay away from me!"

Undeterred, Anna took a step forward.

As if by reflex, Elsa immediately retreated, raising both hands to hold Anna at bay. "No! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Elsa." Anna tilted her head to one side and smiled. "You won't."

Elsa stamped with one foot and gestured wildly with her hands. "How do you know that?!"

Anna took another step forward. "Because I know you."

Clenching her fists at her sides, Elsa looked at Anna down her nose. "Oh? Do you? You don't even know what I look like!" Her voice kept rising as she spoke until she was shouting.

That stopped Anna on her tracks. She frowned and cast her gaze about the ground for a moment, then once more at Elsa's eyes. "What?"

"Oh yes. Do you think you see my actual shape?" Elsa gestured toward herself from top to bottom. "This is but an illusion created by my magic."

Anna shook her head and let out a nervous laugh. "No, no, that's impossible. I've known you since forever. I've watched you in your sleep."

Smiling, if it could be called that, since it was more like a grimace, Elsa said, "Haven't you ever found my beauty a tad... excessive? Too perfect? Otherworldly?"

It took a moment for Anna to respond. "I..."

"Exactly! And that's because it's not natural. Again, not a figure of speech."

Anna remained pensive for a moment and then shook her head. "It doesn't matter." Her face filled with determination once again and she began walking toward Elsa.

For her part, Elsa turned around and began walking away. "You don't know what you're saying. You have no idea."

Seeing as Elsa began gaining some distance, Anna sped up. "Then show me."

"No. Go back to Arendelle, Anna. Kristoff, Olaf and everyone else need you there."

"I don't care."

When the crunch of Anna's footsteps began closing in, it was Elsa's turn to speed up. "What do you mean you don't care?!" she said, looking over her shoulder. "What about your relationship with Kristoff? What about the townspeople?"

Anna waved her hand dismissively. "They'll be fine. You need me here." She sped up.

"What I need you to do..." Elsa said, picking up her skirts with both hands so they would not hinder her steps. "Is go back and be a good ruler to our people."

"If you're so concerned..." Anna picked up her skirts too. "Why don't you go back to take care of them?"

"How can you neglect your people like that?"

"Really, Elsa? I mean, you're trying to dump your responsibility on me. What say you about that?"

By now, they were both running.

"I can't be queen, monster as I am!"

"I won't tell if you won't!"

Elsa stopped without warning. Naturally, Anna crashed right into her back. By some luck, they managed not to land on the beach.

"Fine."

"Huh?" Anna managed between gasps to recover her breath.

"Fine," Elsa repeated, still facing away from Anna.

"You're coming back, then?"

"No." Elsa turned around and looked at Anna with a blank expression. "You want to see? Then I'll show you."

Slowly, the space around Elsa distorted and darkened. It was as if the light were avoiding her. Her shadow became a shapeless blob that began writhing at the edges. Even then, Anna held her ground.

It was not until Elsa's skin began turning ashen gray that Anna had the sense to retreat a few steps.

Elsa took a step forward and that prompted Anna to notice that her calves had already changed. They had become much like a horse's, thin and twisted, and where her dainty feet once were, hooves took their place.

By the time the surprise wore off and Anna Looked up, Elsa was completely transformed. The white of her eyes was now blacker than the blackest cloth, and the beautiful sapphire blue had turned into a golden yellow that glowed as bright as candlelight.

Atop her head, instead of those remarkable, flowing platinum tresses, sat a mass of wriggling growths that resembled snakes. Her hands, once delicate and graceful and easily concealed by a pair of gloves, were now claws that could easily be mistaken for knives.

When Elsa took another step forward, Anna fell on her ass and began scrambling backward.

A hollow laugh rang through the beach. Elsa's fangs, now easily visible, had grown to an inch or more. Anna kept struggling along the dirt to get away. Then, her back met a rock.

She kept pushing with her legs in vain, pressing her body flat against the hard surface.

Elsa kept walking until she was in arm's reach. She knelt down and brought her face near Anna's, who turnred her head away and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Leave this place," Elsa said. "Don't look for me." There was no malice in her voice. As malevolent as she appeared, she still sounded exactly like Elsa.

Having said her piece, Elsa stood up and turned to leave. In an instant, Anna was upon her, clinging to her neck with both arms.

"No! Don't go!"

Elsa moved her hands toward Anna's arms as if to remove them but stopped short. For a moment, she remained in that position. Then, she sighed and dropped her hands to her sides.

"Anna, I can't even touch you as I am without risking harming you. Please, let go."

In response, Anna merely shook her head in refusal against Elsa's back.

"Just a moment ago you were about to soil yourself in fear."

Shaking her head once more, Anna said, "Nope. I was just... surprised. Yes, surprised."

Elsa chuckled. "Of course. Then, will you look at me?"

It was a long moment before Anna assented with her head. She let go of Elsa's neck and took a step back, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Open your eyes, Anna."

Inhaling deeply and then exhaling shakily, Anna obeyed. Her eyes widened but this time she did not panic. Instead, she took another deep breath and approached Elsa. She lifted a hand, then caught herself and brought both hands to her chest.

"It's fine. You can touch me."

In preparation, Anna closed her eyes and breathed slowly a couple times. When she opened them, there was a spark of determination within. She walked up to Elsa's personal space and touched her face.

"Wow."

"Indeed." Elsa smiled.

"It's... It's like nothing I've ever touched before. Smooth, but strangely so. Not unpleasant, though."

Elsa lifted a hand toward Anna's face. "May I?"

Initially, Anna's eyes widened. However, she quickly smoothed her expression. She nodded, closing her eyes and swallowing loud enough it could be heard.

With the utmost care, Elsa ran the back of her razor sharp claws along Anna's cheek. To her surprise, Anna captured her hand and leaned into the touch.

"See? I told you you wouldn't harm me."

Elsa attempted a smile but it was marred by sadness. "We don't know what the future holds. It's best if we part ways."

"No," Anna replied, and it was obvious from her expression and posture that she was brooking no argument.

"Why must you be so stubborn? Can't you see it's for the best?"

"Because you're planning to do something stupid."

Elsa froze mid motion of taking her hand back from Anna's grasp. She smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Resting her hands on her hips and tilting her head sideways, Anna said, "Really? I thought we were past these childish lies, Elsa."

Elsa forced out a laugh. "Truly, I don't know what you mean."

In response, Anna sighed, making quite a dramatic showing of it. "Fine. I'll play your game." She then fixed Elsa with an icy glare. "You said I'm the one holding you back from bringing forth some horror from beyond the veil. If you want to cast me aside and be alone, that can mean only two things. Either you plan on allowing this... this thing to destroy us all. Or..." And here, Anna could no longer hold onto her anger and the expression slid from her face, swiftly replaced by sadness. "Or you're planning to end your own life..."

Without uttering a word, Elsa turned her back to Anna. They remained like that for a fair stretch of time.

"And what of it?" Elsa muttered suddenly.

"I won't allow it," Anna said in just as stubborn a tone. "I'll be with you forever."

Elsa made as if to turn around but stopped herself. Instead, she looked down. "You have Kristoff to think of."

"I'll leave him. He'll understand. He's very understanding."

At that, Elsa lifted her face. Her back was still turned toward Anna but she smiled. "He is, isn't he?"

They stood like that for another long moment, Elsa turned away from Anna, and Anna leaning toward Elsa, obviously wanting to approach but restraining herself.

"What if it's not enough?" Elsa said, barely audible enough to be heard over the breeze blowing past them.

Anna stepped forward, frowning. "What do you mean?"

At last, Elsa turned around. Despite the color of her skin and her eyes, and their unearthly glow, the overflowing tears were plainly visible. "What if I need someone's love? Who could love me?!"

That stopped Anna. She cast her gaze about the beach beneath her feet as if searching for the answer there. It took her a while to ponder this conundrum. Then, as if the idea were lightning itself, it struck her. She clenched her fists at her sides and began marching toward Elsa.

"I'll do it. I'll love you."

Taken aback, Elsa leaned away as Anna invaded her personal space. "Anna! We're sisters!"

"We aren't. Not really. You said it yourself."

"But we've lived our entire lives as sisters!"

Anna grabbed one of Elsa's hands, heedless of the sharp claws. "We'll get over it. You and me, we can do anything. Especially if it means saving the world." She laughed then, but it sounded forced.

"Oh, Anna." Elsa faced skyward and closed her eyes. "I know we're talking about something that may never happen. But what if it did?" She looked down then and opened her eyes, fixing Anna with an intense stare. "Can you imagine what it would do to you? It would break you!"

Smiling, Anna caressed Elsa's cheek with her free hand. "It won't. As long as we're together, I can face anything."

"But, I will be the one doing the damage!"

"You'll make it up to me." Anna kept smiling and touching Elsa's cheek. "I know you will. I trust you completely."

Elsa pulled Anna's hand away by the wrist. "You're taking this too lightly. This is serious, Anna. If I ever fall to the calling, our world will end."

"I'm not!" Anna tugged her hand free, heedless of the sharp claws, and returned it to Elsa's face. "I do believe that if I can't cope with what has to be done, we'll find a way to make up for it."

"You know what?" she continued. "Let's kiss. Right now." Her face was determined and she looked ready for everything, despite being shorter and having to look up at Elsa.

A moment passed as Elsa alternated between looking into Anna's eyes and at anything else but those eyes. "I..." she said finally.

Anna was having none of it, though. "Elsa..."

"I..."

"Elsa!"

"Fine!" Elsa said, freeing herself from Anna's grasp. "Fine... Let me just." She closed her eyes and lowered her head in concentration. "At least." Soon, she was back to looking like her human self.

"You know," Anna said, invading Elsa's personal space once more, "I don't mind."

Anna cupped Elsa's face with both hands and stood on the tips of her toes. They remained just so for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. Then, Anna initiated the kiss, seeing how she had some experience while Elsa did not.

There was no sudden spark between them, no unexpected change from clumsiness to perfect connection. In fact, Elsa looked a tad bothered while Anna looked positively like she was licking mud. To their credit, they did not separate immediately and lasted at least as long as any other kiss Anna had shared with Kristoff.

"That was..." Elsa was the first to break the awkward silence that ensued.

"Yes." Anna cast her gaze down and touched her lips with her fingertips.

"It didn't bother me as much, but that's because the darkness within me craved it, just as it craves anything else sinful whether it's small or grand."

Elsa grabbed both of Anna's hands and continued, "But I can see what it did to you. Now you see the necessity of what I must do."

Without a moment's hesitation, Anna recovered her determination. "No. I'm not letting you die. Nor am I forsaking everyone else. I'll do what I must."

"Anna!" Elsa let go of Anna's hands and gestured in anger. "Already I can see the light in your eyes diminished! This is wrong!"

"It is," Anna said, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her gown. "But it would be even worse to lose you."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond, but Anna gave her no time. She grabbed Elsa's hand and began walking with her in tow. "We're going back to Arendelle, now. Let us not speak of this again until such a time that it becomes absolutely necessary."

For a moment, Elsa closed her eyes and faced skyward, a pained expression on her features. "Yes, Anna," she said after a moment.

It was nearly a year until Elsa could not ignore the voice in her head any longer. During that time, they returned to normalcy as if nothing had happened. It was a good time, but it was now drawing to an end.

That night, Elsa left her bedchamber and stole into the hallways of the sleeping palace dressed only in her sleeping gown. She went straight into Anna's bedchamber. To her surprise, she found her lying in bed but awake.

"Is it time?" Anna asked without looking at Elsa.

Elsa froze mid step. "How did you..."

"Do you think I don't notice how for the past couple of months your gaze has been lingering on me?" Anna chuckled. "Or how it specifically lingers below my neck?"

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered after a moment, a blush consuming her face.

"It's fine." Anna lifted the covers on the unoccupied side of the bed. "We knew this day would come."

Elsa approached the bed but hesitated as she leaned down to get under the covers.

"It's fine," Anna said, covering Elsa's hand with her own.

They lied under the covers, staring at the ceiling without a word spoken for a long while. There were about two feet of distance between them, and neither seemed too eager to breach them.

"Do you love me?" Anna was the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

Elsa turned her head to look at Anna. "Of course I do." Her face displayed no overt emotion, but her eyes were open wide and the tension in her features was obvious.

"And I love you. That's all the prerequisite for two people to make love." Anna was still looking at the ceiling.

"Anna... I don't know..."

"I'm naked," Anna blurted. Then, she closed her eyes and grabbed one of Elsa's hands to place it atop her stomach.

After a few moments, and a shaky exhalation, Elsa began caressing the skin offered to her. Soon, the sound of her heavy breathing filled the space between them. Anna scrunched her face, obviously doing her utmost to endure.

"Perhaps I should stop." Elsa's voice was just above a whisper in volume.

In response, Anna merely shook her head.

It came a point when she finally began relaxing. It was then that Elsa decided to say something. "Your skin is beautiful, so soft."

Anna actually smiled at the compliment. "Thank you," she said, although her eyes were still shut.

Elsa then took a deep breath and slid her hand upward, likely emboldened by Anna's newfound acceptance. The moment she reached one of the supple lumps, however, Anna's head whipped to one side and she scrunched her face again.

"Too much?" Elsa whispered, removing her hand.

Anna nodded with some vehemence.

"Perhaps I should go now." Elsa lifted the covers and slid toward the edge of the bed.

"No!" Anna grabbed her wrist. "Wait."

Turning toward Anna, Elsa gave her an inquisitive look.

"What about the... you know... the thing."

Elsa looked down at where they were touching and chuckled, tucking at the same time a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then, she reached forward and did the same for Anna.

"You know?" She said, her voice clear and a smile on her lips. "I hadn't thought about it at all until you mentioned it."

Anna's eyes widened and she leaned toward Elsa, capturing her hand with both of hers. "You mean it worked?"

"I suppose it did."

Releasing a sigh of relief, Anna dropped down on the bed. "I'm glad." She remained silent for a moment, pensive, staring at the ceiling. Then, she added, "I mean... I know this won't be the last time. I'm just glad it actually works."

"Me too," Elsa said, standing up.

A hand appeared around her wrist and she turned to look at Anna with an eyebrow raised.

Anna was avoiding her gaze.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Elsa sat down on the edge of the bed and took one of Anna's hands and rested it on her lap.

The response was an inaudible mutter.

Elsa laughed and rolled her eyes. "Anna, come on, what is it?"

"Kiss."

As if having received a sudden pinch, Elsa recoiled. When she recovered, she said, "I don't think we should." She patted Anna's hand. "Remember the beach?"

"This time it's going to be different."

"Anna..."

Anna shushed Elsa and sat up to hug her neck from the side. "I—I know I didn't like it that time." She chuckled. "Fine, that's putting it mildly. Anyway, I kept revisiting it since then and... well..."

She let the declaration hang in the air for a while. "I grew curious. I began craving it."

There was another moment of silence, and then, she suddenly released Elsa and dropped back on the bed, covering her face with both hands. "Oh, God! Why do you make me say these things?!"

When Elsa said nothing, Anna began squirming. After a moment, she uncovered one of her eyes to find Elsa staring at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Elsa!"

"What?!"

"Stop teasing me!"

Elsa put up an indignant face that would have worked were she not smiling. "I am not!"

Anna grumbled.

"Fine, fine." Elsa put up her hands as if surrendering. "I'm willing to try again. But, are you sure?" She caressed Anna's cheek. "I don't want to hurt you."

Nodding, Anna said, "Let's just not... You know... Start with a full on couple's kiss?"

"That's very reasonable." Elsa smiled.

Swinging her feet off the bed, Anna took a seat beside Elsa. "Ready?"

Elsa nodded.

This time, they approached each other and did not close their eyes until the last moment. They pecked each other on the lips once.

"How was that?" Anna said, casting her gaze about the plush carpet and playing with her hair.

"I enjoyed it very much. And you?"

Anna nodded and after a moment looked up, locking her gaze with Elsa's. They remained like that, looking into each other's eyes, until they began closing the distance between them as if pulled by an invisible force. This time, they kissed for far longer. The kisses were not the kind lovers would share, but also entirely inappropriate for siblings.

"Wow," Anna said after separating herself from Elsa. "That was much better."

"I agree." Elsa stood up but did not leave just yet. She leaned forward, cupped Anna's face with both hands and kissed her forehead. "Now, get some sleep."

Without saying anything, Anna crawled over the bed and slid under the covers.

Before Elsa could step into the hallway and close the door behind herself, Anna called to her. "Elsa?"

"Yes?" Elsa said, looking over her shoulder.

"We'll get through this. Together."

Elsa smiled. "Together."

"Forever."

"Forever."

**FIN**


End file.
